FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP – A playful, mixed-breed pup named "Lark" is like any other dog at Blue Chip Farms Animal Refuge, except for a scar around the dog’s snout.
Marge Bart told Newswatch 16 that she fears the four-month-old puppy may have been tied up with metal wire.
"'I don't know who would ever think to do something so horrible as this to a young puppy, but it does look like they bound his mouth shut with some kind of tie,” said Bart. "He's a very faithful pup. He's just as sweet as could be and loving. It's just sad that he has such unconditional love for whoever did this to him.”
Amanda Walton said the latest case of suspected animal cruelty has sparked a nerve with refuge volunteers.
“It never gets easier. You almost think that after a while of just seeing these things, you'd almost become desensitized, but you just cant,” said Walton.
The pup was discovered two weeks ago by a Larksville Street Department crew on Steele Road.
"That dog would have died that night,” said Jack Elko. “It went down to single digits.”
Bob Cunningham told Newswatch 16 that the pooch was discovered under high-voltage power lines atop Larksville Mountain.
"We just saw him walking across the road here, actually walking back and forth to cross the road,” said Cunningham. “A couple minutes before that, a truck went down over the hill. We're kind of thinking maybe whoever them two guys were in that truck, probably dropped it.”
A Larksville resident cared for the pup and paid for veterinary bills until giving the dog to Blue Chip Farms Animal Refuge.
Volunteers said a family has already been selected to adopt “Lark” within the next few days.
For more information or to donate to Blue Chip Farms Animal Refuge click here.
Meanwhile, Larksville Police are now offering a $900 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever abandoned the puppy. If you have information that could help, call Larksville Police at (570) 714-9847.